You walk through a dark, cramped hallway filled with dusty mechanical banks and then, suddenly, the world just opens up. It’s loud. It’s red. It’s smells like old grease and ozone. This is the carousel at the House on the Rock, and honestly, calling it a "merry-go-round" feels like a total insult. It doesn't have a single horse. Not one. Instead, you're staring at a swirling, chaotic mass of 269 handcrafted creatures—centaurs, sea monsters, and giant cicadas—all bathed in the glow of over 20,000 lights.
It’s the largest indoor carousel in the world.
But size isn't really the point here. The point is the sheer, overwhelming audacity of Alex Jordan Jr., the man who built this place. He didn't build it for kids. You can't even ride it. It’s a 36-ton piece of kinetic art that spins at a dizzying speed, guarded by hundreds of life-sized angel mannequins hanging from the ceiling. It is arguably the most famous part of the Spring Green, Wisconsin, attraction, and for good reason. It feels like something out of a fever dream or a Neil Gaiman novel. Actually, it is in a Neil Gaiman novel—American Gods used this exact spot as a portal to the mind of the Old Gods.
Why the Carousel at the House on the Rock doesn't have horses
Most people expect a carousel to be whimsical. You think of Mary Poppins or a local county fair. Jordan hated that. He wanted something that looked more like a mythological parade. If you look closely at the animals, you’ll see why people spend forty minutes just standing in this one room. There are 182 chandeliers hanging from the carousel itself. The animals are arranged in tiers, and since there are no horses, your eyes have to adjust to the bizarre variety.
You’ve got walruses. You’ve got giant roosters. There are even some creatures that don't really have names—just biological mashups of scales, fur, and teeth. Jordan’s philosophy was basically "more is more." He didn't care about traditional aesthetics. He cared about the "wow" factor. He spent roughly $4.5 million building this specific exhibit back in the late 70s and early 80s. When you adjust that for inflation today, it’s an astronomical investment for something that is essentially a giant, spinning toy nobody can sit on.
The mechanics are just as wild as the carvings. The entire structure is 80 feet wide and 35 feet tall. It weighs as much as a small commercial airplane. Because of that weight, it doesn't just "turn on." It has to be started slowly to keep the momentum from snapping the internal gears. When it reaches full speed, the wind it generates is actually cold.
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The Angels and the atmosphere
If the carousel itself is the heart of the room, the angels are the soul—or maybe the haunting. Hanging from every available inch of the ceiling and walls are hundreds of mannequin angels. They aren't all "sweet." Some look a bit weathered, some are playing instruments, and all of them are staring down at the spinning wheel.
It’s "The Heritage of the Sea" room's neighbor, and the transition is jarring. One minute you’re looking at a 200-foot fiberglass whale fighting a giant squid, and the next, you’re in this crimson-lit chamber of infinite rotation. The lighting is deliberate. It’s dark. Very dark. The only real light comes from those 20,000 lightbulbs on the rig, which creates this flickering, strobe-like effect on the walls. It makes the stationary angels look like they’re moving.
Some visitors find it creepy. Others find it spiritual. Most just feel a bit motion-sick if they stare at it too long. There’s no music playing from the carousel itself; instead, the room is filled with the sound of massive, automated organ pipes and percussion instruments that line the perimeter. It’s a wall of sound. It’s a sensory overload designed to make you feel small.
The engineering nightmare of a 36-ton toy
Building the carousel at the House on the Rock wasn't exactly a straightforward process. Alex Jordan wasn't an architect or a licensed engineer in the traditional sense. He was a collector and a visionary who hired people to figure out how to make his "unrealistic" ideas work. To support the weight of the carousel, they had to sink massive steel beams deep into the sandstone of Deer Shelter Rock.
Maintenance is a never-ending job. Think about it. You have 20,000 lightbulbs. If just one percent of them burn out, that’s 200 bulbs. There is a dedicated crew that spends their time replacing bulbs, dusting the intricate carvings on the monsters, and greasing the massive central gears.
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The "no riding" rule often bums people out, but it’s a safety necessity. The centrifugal force at the outer edge of an 80-foot spinning disk is significant. Plus, these are delicate carvings. They weren't built for the wear and tear of thousands of tourists climbing on them every day. They were built to be seen.
What most people miss when they visit
When you're standing there, don't just look at the big stuff. Look at the chariots. Most carousels have one or two "benches" for people who don't want to ride a horse. Jordan’s carousel has chariots that look like they were stolen from a Roman emperor’s fever dream. They are encrusted with faux jewels and gold leaf.
Also, look at the eyes of the animals. They aren't standard glass eyes. Many of them have a strange, lifelike quality that makes it feel like they’re watching you as they pass by. It’s a bit unnerving.
Getting the most out of your trip to the Carousel
If you’re planning to go, you need to understand that the House on the Rock is divided into three "sections." The carousel is in Section 2. If you only buy a ticket for Section 1, you’re going to miss it entirely and end up very disappointed.
- Go on a weekday. The room with the carousel is large, but it gets crowded. To really feel the "vibe" of the room, you want to be able to stand against the back wall and just watch the lights blur.
- Bring a good camera, but turn off the flash. Flash ruins the atmosphere and usually just bounces off the thousands of crystals and mirrors, leaving you with a white blob. The best shots are long-exposure videos that capture the spinning motion.
- Check the weather. The House on the Rock is a massive complex of separate buildings connected by walkways. If it’s pouring rain, you’re going to get wet moving between the Infinity Room and the Carousel.
- Give yourself time. Don't rush through the carousel room. It’s the climax of the second portion of the tour. Sit on one of the side benches and just listen to the mechanical music for ten minutes. It’s the only way to process the scale of what you’re looking at.
The legacy of the House on the Rock carousel
There is a lot of debate about whether the House on the Rock is "art" or just a collection of junk. Frank Lloyd Wright—who lived nearby at Taliesin—supposedly hated Alex Jordan and his "shack" on the rock. But that’s sort of the charm. It’s a middle finger to traditional architecture and high-brow art.
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The carousel at the House on the Rock represents the peak of Jordan’s obsession. It serves no practical purpose. it doesn't make money as a ride. It’s just there because one man decided it should exist. In a world where everything is streamlined and "minimalist," there is something deeply refreshing about a giant, loud, red, over-the-top carousel filled with monsters.
It reminds us that humans are capable of building things just because they’re weird. You won't find another one like it. Not in Europe, not in Disney World, and certainly not in any other roadside attraction in the Midwest. It’s a one-of-one masterpiece of the bizarre.
To make sure you actually see the carousel in its best light, aim to arrive at the complex early in the morning, around 9:00 AM. This allows you to reach Section 2 before the mid-afternoon tour bus rush. Wear comfortable walking shoes; the trek through the entire House on the Rock can cover several miles of uneven flooring and ramps. Lastly, bring a pair of earplugs if you have sensitive hearing—the combination of the carousel’s mechanical roar and the automated orchestra in that enclosed space can reach decibel levels that are surprisingly high. After you finish Section 2, take a breather at the on-site cafe before heading into Section 3, as the visual exhaustion from the carousel room is a real phenomenon that many travelers report.
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